Hidden debris from Hurricane Ian lingers in waterways, causing boating dangers, police say
VENICE, Fla. - With many communities on the water, debris that was ripped off of homes as well as uprooted trees ended up in the water after Hurricane Ian.
Master Officer Paul Joyce with the Venice Police Department's marine patrol is keeping his eyes on the water. They are surveying the waterways and looking for all these dangers, obstacles and navigational hazards that could be lurking.
"We will be dealing with this not as long as our neighbors to the South of us, but we here locally will deal with this for several weeks," said Joyce.
READ: Deputies rescue dog stranded on RV roof in flooded DeSoto County community
The water is darker than usual and some debris is out of eyesight. A washout happened on the side wall of the Venice Intracoastal waterway outside the Venice Airport.
A portion of the Legacy trial was washed out during the storm and has caused a sandbar to form, and that sand is now taking up 50% of that section the intracoastal.
"They've [boaters] got to be aware of their surroundings, more than they normally are," Joyce said.
Officials said hitting plywood or mangled metal could cause your boat to capsize, and Sea Tow Venice has seen it firsthand.
MORE: Tervis launches Hurricane Ian relief tumbler to help storm survivors
"You could have catastrophic damage to your boat from hitting debris and knocking a hole on the bottom of the boat and have it sink on you," said Craig Marcum, the owner of Sea Tow Venice.
A boat lift cover was found floating in the middle of the channel, and debris has also made it offshore. There are even a few vessels that have sunk, and important navigational markings have been blown away.
"Channel markers, slow speed zones, 25 mph zones, manatee zones, a lot of things that keep you out of trouble. They are gone," said Marcum.
Until the water clears up and debris is removed, boating could be more dangerous than fun.
"The debris is everywhere. It’s not worth taking the risk," said Marcum.